Disabled females twice as likely to experience violence, abuse

SCOTT BEVAN: Women and girls with disabilities are twice as likely as those without disability to experience violence and abuse in their lives. And research shows that they will experience abuse for longer and that it will result in more severe injuries.

Well, these alarming statistics are the focus of a national symposium being hosted by the Human Rights Commission in Sydney today.

Katie Hamann reports.

KATIE HAMANN: Women and girls living with disability face enormous challenges. Sadly among them is an increased threat of violence and abuse.

Dr Leanne Doswe is the lead researcher of the Stop the Violence Project at the University of New South Wales. She told RN Breakfast women and girls with disabilities are twice as likely to experience violence and abuse as able bodied women.

LEANNE DOSWE: We do see women with disabilities experiencing the same sorts of risks as women without disabilities. There are also added risks if you have a disability so there are risks related to the nature of the care relationship that women find themselves in. There is often dependencies around care, medication, supports within the family and within the home, and so women actually are unable to leave those care relationships because of the sort of dependencies that are inherent in them.

KATIE HAMANN: Dr Doswe is among a number of people attending a national symposium on violence against women and girls with disability.

Christina Ryan understand the problem well. She's the general manager for the group Advocacy for Inclusion and has worked closely with disabled victims of abuse. She says a number of reforms are needed.

CHRISTINA RYAN: We do need to have reviews of the criminal justice system so that perpetrators are brought to account, that women are supported and quite importantly, we need support for women in residential care so that they are not only able to feel stronger about speaking up - they're supported to learn the skills to speak up - but they're actually also given support to understand what violence is.

Many of these women actually think that this is just the way it is, that this is how life is for them and this is what they must accept.

KATIE HAMANN: The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children was launched by the government in 2010. It sets out a framework for action on the issue spanning 12 years.

Senator Michaelia Cash is the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women. She told the symposium that the new government is now focused on preventing violence.

MICHAELIA CASH: We will be looking at continued efforts in the area of primary prevention. The only way to reduce the enormous costs that are associated with violence against women is to ensure that we now look at putting resources and public thinking into how to stop violence before it begins and that's why we are going to see a particular under the Abbott Government, a focus now in the key area of primary prevention.

KATIE HAMANN: Disability advocates including Christina Ryan say more funding and resources are essential to addressing the needs of women and girls with disabilities.

CHRISTINA RYAN: The national action plan is a grand thing, it's a really good thing. What we do know though is that when there was some funding distributed for projects a couple of years ago that most of them did not go to women with disabilities and addressing violence against women with disabilities and that was an opportunity missed.

So we do know that the plan is moving forward. It is time now to really commit any funding that is available and there will be funding attached to the national plan - it must address this particular problem.

KATIE HAMANN: But Senator Cash wouldn't be drawn on whether specific funding will be targeted towards women and children living with disability who are also experiencing abuse and violence.

MICHAELIA CASH: Well, the national action plan is already a committed plan so the funding is already there.

KATIE HAMANN: But how much? What portion of the funding is…

MICHAELIA CASH: I would need to go and get that in specific detail for you. I don't have that with me today.